John Martin the Celebrity Delinquent:
Part 4: Flown the Coop.
Friday 2nd November 1894, and 15-year-old John Henry Martin
has flown the coop again. This time Martin escaped from Mr Burton’s truant
school at Glanville. He had been locked in a room and escaped. His escape had
only been discovered when someone had sought him to do some work, finding the
locked room he was supposed to be in, empty.[1]
The Port Adelaide
police were notified of Martin’s disappearance, with word put out on the street that they were searching for him. At about 10:30pm that night, a message was sent to the police station
stating that Martin was seen laying on tracks at the Port Adelaide railway
yards.
Constable Schell went to investigate and
found then arrested Martin. Martin was no longer dressed in his reformatory
uniform, instead, wearing clothes he had borrowed from another boy. He was
wearing blue serge trousers and a tweed vest, missing his hat, work coat and
one boot. When asked by police why he changed clothing, he stated, “I’m not
going to let anyone see me with a uniform coat on." (referring to the
reformatory uniform).
Martin was taken to the Port Adelaide
police station and put in the cells, all the while protesting vigorously that
he had done nothing wrong and did not deserve to be locked up.
Mr Burton, who had taken charge of the
boy, decided that he, and his reformatory, would no longer accept the boy and
that he should be placed back into State care. [2]
Next Week: John Martin the Celebrity Delinquent: Part 5: Cardigan
Castle
Researched and written by Allen Tiller © 2020
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